Once upon a time, TV shows just refused to end. Twenty-something episode seasons, filler arcs, and dragged-out storylines were the norm until Netflix changed everything. The streamer practically built its identity on tight, binge-worthy shows with short seasons and quick payoffs. In other words, Netflix has always known exactly when to end a story, and that makes all the difference.
However, the platform is also home to several shows that don’t just want to keep going. Instead, they are actually built on ideas and formats that can continue evolving without ever feeling stale. Here are Netflix shows that could last forever because of exactly that, and honestly, probably should.
8
‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ (2022–Present)
The Lincoln Lawyer is a show that’s just built to last. It takes the familiar format of a legal drama and makes it feel effortless, binge-worthy. The series, based on The Brass Verdict and other novels by Michael Connelly, follows defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), who deals with high-stakes trials and a complex legal system while also dealing with his personal baggage. The great thing about the show is how it strikes the perfect balance between procedural and serialized storytelling.
Each episode brings in a new case that keeps things fresh while the audience remains invested in Mickey’s complicated relationships with his team, ex-wives, and daughter. That structure gives the show reason to go on for a long time without ever feeling repetitive. As long as there are new clients, crimes, and moral dilemmas for the protagonist to deal with, The Lincoln Lawyer will never really run out of steam.
7
‘Love, Death & Robots’ (2019–Present)
Love, Death, & Robots pursues storytelling without any boundaries, and that’s what makes it so great. The animated anthology, created by Tim Miller and executive produced by David Fincher, tells a range of standalone stories that explore subjects including artificial intelligence, war, dystopias, and even human consciousness. Each episode of Love, Death & Robots is like a short film with different animation styles and tones.
However, their themes always tie them together. It’s honestly incredible how much the show manages to do in such a short runtime. Each story feels complete, yet leaves the audience with just enough ambiguity to pique their curiosity. This format makes Love, Death & Robots feel like it genuinely goes on forever. The show has the potential to continue experimenting and evolving over time and with technology.
6
‘Black Mirror’ (2011–Present)
Black Mirror aims to unsettle, and what a great job it does at that. The series is Charlie Brooker’s masterpiece, which began as a British production before being picked up by Netflix, where it became one of the streamer’s most experimental and thoughtful titles. Black Mirror is also an anthology that explores the impact of technology on human behavior. However, despite all the flashy gadgets it centers on, Black Mirror is an uncomfortable exploration of mankind’s worst instincts. The eerie part is that the series actually takes existing fears around technology and amplifies them to the most extreme degree.
What’s all the more eerie is how close it always feels to reality. The sci-fi show is ambitious, but most of its stories feel like they’re just a few steps ahead of where humanity currently is. They revolve around social media, surveillance, and artificial intelligence. However, none of it ever feels sterile, because at its core, Black Mirror is driven by very human emotions of grief, obsession, and even love. That’s why the show will never run out of stories that feel both futuristic and comfortably familiar.
5
‘Virgin River’ (2019–Present)
Virgin River is the perfect slow-burning romantic drama, based on the novels by Robyn Carr. The series follows nurse practitioner and midwife Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who moves to the quiet town of Virgin River to escape her bad past. However, she soon finds herself surrounded by a tightly-knit community that’s filled with complicated relationships, emotional baggage, and some pretty dark secrets. Amidst all this, her compelling romance with bar owner and former Marina Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) becomes the heart of the story.
Now, the premise might sound straightforward, but Virgin River unfolds through an expanding web of storylines that involve medical cases, small-town politics, and even drug operations that are woven into the characters’ personal arcs. The show constantly baits its audience with cliffhangers and rewards them with emotional payoffs, which is exactly what makes it so addictive. Even when the story feels predictable, one just can’t stop watching because of the characters and their chemistry. Virgin River might not be a high-concept show like most other names on this list, but it has mastered the art of comfort watching, and that truly never gets old.
4
‘Bridgerton’ (2020–Present)
Bridgerton is another cozy romance series that transports its audience to the Regency Era, but with a modern twist. The series, created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes, is based on Julia Quinn’s successful novel series and follows the lives and romances of the Bridgerton siblings in London’s high society. Each season centers on a different sibling while also leaning into a distinct romantic trope, such as fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, or friends-to-lovers. This rotating structure is one of the show’s biggest strengths.
It allows Bridgerton to reinvent itself every season with new emotional dynamics and fresh pairings, while also retaining fan-favorite characters and expanding their arcs. The show is definitely rooted in the Bridgerton family, but the universe it takes place in is far bigger. The success of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story proved that the franchise can easily branch out into spinoffs and side stories that can explore different timelines and perspectives. The Bridgerton franchise has a built-in framework for longevity thanks to its brilliant character work. The show has never been limited to one central arc, and that gives it the potential to last for a long time.
3
‘One Piece’ (2023–Present)
Netflix’s One Piece has been a breath of fresh air in the saturated landscape of live-action remakes. The series follows the relentlessly optimistic pirate, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), who sets out to find the ultimate treasure and become the Pirate King. Along the way, he builds his crew, where each member brings their own backstory and motivation. The story blends action, heart, and humor as the Straw Hat pirates travel across dangerous seas and battle powerful enemies.
What makes the show special is how faithfully it adapts Eiichiro Oda’s beloved manga series while still making it feel accessible to a brand-new audience. It captures the spirit of the anime without feeling like a straightforward copy. The world-building feels expansive from the very beginning, and with the manga still ongoing, the Netflix series has an almost endless supply of arcs, characters, and adventures to draw from.
2
‘The Haunting Of’ Series (2018–2020)
The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor are easily some of the smartest horror TV series of all time. Through their success, Mike Flanagan has actually been able to create something much bigger with his other Netflix shows, including Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Of course, the latter shows aren’t direct sequels to The Haunting Of anthology, but they carry the same kind of storytelling that layers emotional narratives with intense psychological horror.
Flanagan is now practically known for blending the supernatural with grief, trauma, and human relationships to create stories that feel connected even when they aren’t explicitly part of the same universe. That’s exactly why this style of storytelling can keep going indefinitely. A continuation of Flanagan’s horror series wouldn’t have to be tied to a single house or family. Instead, it uses the same kind of tone and approach to horror that can be applied to endless new settings and characters.
1
‘Beef’ (2023–Present)
Anthologies are usually reserved for prestige storytelling. However, Beef, created by Lee Sung Jin, applies the format to a comedy that is also a psychological thriller, a social satire, and an existential crisis. Beef Season 1 follows Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a struggling contractor whose road-rage incident with entrepreneur Amy Lau (Ali Wong) spirals into a petty and destructive feud that destroys both of their lives. The conflict starts with something absurdly small and keeps escalating until it exposes the ugly, repressed human feelings underneath.
The show is easily one of Netflix’s best original series and explores what happens when resentment and class conflict collide. Beef Season 2 takes that same formula and applies it to a brand new story that revolves around the setting of a country club, where a young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife. This pivot alone proves that the series can essentially keep going on for years without ever feeling repetitive. Beef is practically designed to show how humans will always find new reasons to clash, thanks to their fragile egos.
Beef
- Release Date
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April 6, 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Lee Sung Jin
- Directors
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Hikari, Jake Schreier, Kitao Sakurai, Lee Sung Jin